Never before had Celestia been so shocked. When Twilight had lunged, she had expected physical punishment- a stab in the chest from Twilight’s horn, perhaps, or maybe a good pounding from the lavender alicorn’s hooves.
Instead, her daughter began to sob quietly…wrapping Celestia up in an embrace with forelegs and wings, snuggling into her chest fur as if trying to bury herself in it. Celestia could’ve sworn that she deserved something bad to happen to her, for her daughter to reject her, and yet here Twilight was, actually HUGGING and not HITTING her.
No, as much as she loved it, she knew she didn’t deserve it.
“Twilight-“Her protest was stopped by a hoof to her mouth. Twilight tilted her head up so that their eyes met. The tears in her eyes, the expression on her face, made Celestia swallow the protest that had been rising in her throat.
“Sing.”
“What?” Celestia was baffled by the request.
“Please,” Twilight closed her eyes, nuzzling Celestia’s chest again, “sing.”
“But, Twilight, I-“
“I remember now, the song.” She finally did, indeed, recall back to long ago, when she had heard somepony singing to her and remembered when she had thought Celestia’s own singing voice had sounded so familiar to it.
“I just want to hear it again, after so long.”Twilight sniffed, wiping her tears away with her hoof, “I just want to be held, and hear your voice, your lullaby. Please….”
The pleading in her daughter’s voice was almost too much for her to take. Celestia had to keep from returning Twilight’s hug with everything she had in her alicorn body.
I don’t deserve this, Celestia thought to herself, even if she is asking…
“I-I don’t understand, Twilight,” Celestia stammered, “I failed you. I failed as your mother, mentor, and everything else. Why are you doing this?”
“I can’t do it, not after I realized how much you truly cared despite it all. I can’t hate you,” Twilight’s muffled voice came from deep within her chest fur, “and you can’t make me.”
“Please,” She repeated, started to sob, “sing.”
She couldn’t bear it. She couldn’t bear to see Twilight hurting because of her, not again. Even if she didn’t deserve Twilight’s love, she knew that she would do anything to make her daughter smile again- a smile she loved to see, no matter what. If it brings a smile to her face…
With that thought, she took a deep breath, and began to softly sing:
In my arms I hold a child,
A heart untamed, a spirit wild.
Yet, whilst here, in my embrace,
I can gaze upon your face.
My Little Nova, my Twilight star.
I will love thee wherever you lay,
I'll cast my light over ‘n ‘neath your day.
Your flower has bloomed, and I watched it grow...”
She wrapped her forelegs around Twilight, and the lavender mare snuggled deeper into the embrace as she finished the lullaby.
Now I know, now I know,
I will never, ever, let you go.
When the song finished, Celestia lifted her wing and brushed away her tears with her feathers, waiting for Twilight’s response.
Silence greeted her for a long moment.
Finally, lifting her head, Twilight looked up at Celestia and stood up on her hind legs while still in her embrace. Still with tears in her eyes, she softly smiled.
Her next words made Celestia’s heart flutter, break, and then rebuild itself.
“I forgive you.” Twilight voice was warm and…affectionate, “I love you…Mom.”
Celestia couldn’t believe it. Had Twilight really just called her ‘Mom’? After all those years of hiding her secret, Celestia had begun to wonder if she would ever hear her own beloved daughter call her that, when Velvet had still been alive. Twilight always called the silver mare ‘mother’ instead of her, and it had hurt, despite Celestia’s misgivings about herself as a mother, especially on Hearths Warming Eve when Twilight would ask her advice on a gift for Velvet.
Now, Celestia couldn’t help but smile and hug Twilight tighter. With that one word alone, Celestia knew for sure that Twilight had not rejected her. Twilight accepted her.
She had her daughter back!
“Does this mean,” She nuzzled Twilight’s head with affection, “that you’ll give me a chance?”
Twilight nodded, wiping her tears away, “I appreciate what Dad and Velvet have done for me, and I’ll never ever forget that, but if it wasn’t for you as well as my friends I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’ll ALWAYS give you a chance, Mom.”
By the stars and my sun in the sky, if this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up. Celestia thought.
Twilight pulled away from their embrace, visibly shivering as their warmth was separated. Deep in thought, Celestia watched as she walked to the railing, where her crown still sat. Twilight looked at it for a moment, and then at herself.
“Is there something wrong, Twilight?” Celestia asked, nervously.
“I look a lot like Velvet in many ways, but I only have my father’s genes aside from yours.” Twilight wondered, “Is my appearance just…random?”
Celestia sighed, relieved at the relatively innocent question, “Mostly. Since you inherited magic from your grandmother as well, who had taken care of the night before your Aunt Luna, her magic morphed with my own, and affected your outer appearance- a mixing of day and night into twilight, if you will. The blue mane and your cutie mark are also signs of Luna and your grandmother within you while your eyes and that pink strip in your mane are from me.”
Twilight smiled, thoughtfully, “I wonder….” She looked up at Celestia, particularly at her mother’s white coat and naturally pink mane, and closed her eyes for a moment.
“Twilight,” Celestia asked, cautiously, “what’re you-?”
Twilight started to glow, forcing Celestia to squeeze her eyes shut. When the light disappeared, she opened her eyes to find…a smaller version of herself?
No. With a gasp, Celestia realized what Twilight had done.
The younger alicorn had cast an illusion spell on herself. She still had her normal mane-style and Cutie Mark, but she had changed her color scheme to a white coat with a bright pink mane. Those magenta eyes, similar to her own, had that unmistakable glint of mischief in them that she knew only Twilight could possess, as well as those wings, every bit as swan-like as her own. In every way, Luna was right. With just a little poofing up done to her mane, and the star Cutie Mark replaced with her sun, Twilight would look exactly like a smaller version of her.
“Hmm,” Twilight walked over and stood next to her mother, the larger alicorn’s mouth agape in surprise, and looked back and forth between them for a moment before their eyes met, “so if I had more of you in me, then would I look something like this?”
Celestia finally found it in herself to laugh, and she gathered her daughter in her forelegs again with a smile on her face, “I guess you would, yes.”
Twilight grinned, “Perhaps if I try on your crown, maybe my mane will gain a rainbow appearance.”
“Oh, no,” Celestia chuckled, “it is much too large for you for the enchantment to take effect. Besides, it only reacts to MY magic signature- oh…I believe it would also…”
Twilight’s grin widened, “Perhaps I could-“
“As fun as that sounds, dear daughter,” Celestia interrupted, wanting to continue the fun, but knew they had been absent for long enough, sent the box of photos back to her chamber with a spell, and levitated her crown over, preparing to place it on her own head, “I believe we have kept everyone else waiting for awhile. Besides,” She smiled, “I believe Luna will enjoy finally being able to treat you as a niece rather than just a fellow princess.”
The white Twilight pouted, and Celestia forced herself to ignore that her expression was EXACTLY like a younger version of Celestia used to have and use on her own parents.
Twilight shifted a hoof, “Can I least try it on?” She asked, looking up at Celestia with puppy-dog eyes- another look that the older alicorn used to use on her parents. Celestia couldn’t quite put her hoof on it, but Twilight actually seemed to be acting more mischievous now, and all around just…her daughter.
It was like she was trying to make up for lost time.
But as happy as that made Celestia deep down, she was not one to let just ANYPONY wear her crown and adopt her mane’s appearance, regardless if they were family or simply looked liked her.
“Every time I wear my mane like this in public, everypony always stops and stares. I really do not want any unwanted attention for either of us.”
“I proposed a night of equality, remember?” Twilight pointed out, “I’m sure everyone will make an exception, just for tonight.”
Celestia looked at her levitated crown for a moment, and then sighed, giving in quicker than she thought she would and lowering it onto Twilight’s head, “It’s heavier than you think.”
Twilight nodded, removing her tiara, and Celestia then released her magic as soon as the crown rested upon her daughter’s head.
“Well,” Celestia asked patiently, “what do you-?”
Before she could finish that thought, there was a spark of magic, and suddenly Twilight’s mane, still pink from the illusion spell, suddenly started to take on a windblown appearance. With another spark, the pink of the mane immediately became an ethereal flow of purple, green, and light blue.
“Mom,” Twilight looked at Celestia’s bewildered look for a moment, before turning to look at herself, “why are you..?” She trailed off, her jaw dropping at the sight of her mane.
They were both silent for a long moment, their mouths agape, staring at the unexpected sight.
“Well,” Twilight said after awhile, “I guess I was right.”
Her magic signature must resemble mine more than I thought. I wonder if…
Their eyes met, Celestia looking down at the smaller spitting image of her royal self, and they had the same thought at the same time.
“Cancel your illusion spell.” Celestia told her. Twilight nodded, and with a flash of light, she returned to her normal coloration. She looked perfectly normal.
Almost
Celestia half-wondered if the pink strip in her mane would react to the crown’s enchantment, but to her surprise it didn’t. Instead, it was the primary dark blue of Twilight’s mane that reacted. Her mane was not only slightly longer in the back, but dotted throughout the dark-blue strands, and even the strip of pink, were thousands of sparkles- the stars of the night sky! There was no ethereal wind blowing Twilight’s mane now, but to Celestia that didn’t matter. In fact, though she loved seeing Twilight look like her, her daughter looked even more lovely with Luna’s stars in her otherwise normal mane. In fact, Celestia briefly wondered if Twilight was meant to be Princess of the Stars, rather than of Friendship and Magic.
Luna will definitely enjoy this. Celestia smiled.
“I think…I think I like this a lot better.” Twilight said, in awe at her new royal appearance, but then looked at her mother guiltily, “No offense. I like your look, too.”
“None taken,” Celestia was still in awe, “because I believe this suits you better. I might even enchant your regalia, if you would like. After all, a mane of the night’s fading stars, and a lavender coat of the coming sunrise,” Celestia walked forward and nuzzled her daughter lovingly, “you truly are living up to your name in this moment, my Little Nova.”
The nickname made Twilight blush at first, but mainly because she actually enjoyed it, and she nuzzled her mother back, “Thanks, …Mom.”
Celestia grinned, “You don’t know how happy it makes me to hear you call me that.”
But still, after all that progress… Twilight thought.
“C-Can I still call you Celestia, too?” She asked.
“Of course. After all, before we were family,” Celestia winked, “we were friends.”
……
They flew out of the garden, and were quick to arrive back at the ballroom, where the Gala was still in full swing. Celestia held Twilight’s tiara in her magic, while Twilight still wore her mother’s crown upon her head. Both of them had changed back into their dresses before leaving the garden, though the only difference was that Celestia’s mane was still its natural color, and Twilight’s mane was still enchanted- exactly what she wanted to show the others.
Celestia paused, still worried about her appearance, but an encouraging nudge from Twilight allowed her to continue forward into the ballroom. True to her fears, a lot of ponies looked at her in surprise upon seeing her natural appearance, but to her surprise they either went back to talking without a second glance or had turned to look at Twilight in awe for a brief moment as mother and daughter made their way over to their thrones.
“Twily!?” Shining Armor, the first to see them arrive, could only stare in shock at his little sister’s new sparkling mane and the other princess’s crown on her head. Next to him, Cadence clapped her hooves in delight. Next to them, Luna looked on in surprise, only for her agape mouth to quickly widen into a grin when her eyes met those of her sister and her niece.
“Hey, Shiny,” Twilight grinned, looking at her brother, “you like it?”
“It’s simply gorgeous!” Cadence squealed, “You look so beautiful, Twilight!”
“I…actually have no words to describe it.” Shining was still in awe, “You look…divine!”
Twilight blushed, still not used to the compliments that other ponies seemed to love giving her. Celestia momentarily wondered if her daughter’s adorable blush was the reason that ponies kept complimenting her in the first place.
“Let us make one thing very clear, right here and right now.” Luna said, fluttering over with her grin still attached, “Just because you possess my stars in your mane does NOT mean I’m letting you take over the night sky.”
“How about a bet?” Twilight returned her aunt’s grin with a wink, “You know, for that horn-foiling match I am challenging you to.”
“You. Are. ON!” Luna responded, “Then we shall see who the real artist is!”
“Bring it,” Twilight leaned forward and whispered so only the two oldest alicorns could hear, “Auntie Luna.”
Luna chuckled, and then looked at Celestia with a look that asked, “Like aunt, like niece, eh, sister?”
Oh, sweet stars, Celestia inwardly groaned and rolled her eyes, here we go again.
Yes, everything definitely looked like it was turning out for the better.
While Shining and Cadence looked on with smiles at the challenging conversation between the Lunar diarch and the lavender alicorn wearing Celestia’s crown, the white alicorn smiled with only hopeful thoughts in her mind for once.
For once in her life, with her daughter AND sister by her side, Celestia felt whole again.
“Wait a minute, Twily.” Shining suddenly asked, “Did I just hear you call Luna ‘auntie’?”
“Um, well,” Twilight chuckled nervously, the spoke quickly, “becausesheis!”
Luna looked sheepish. This was not going to end well.
Next to her, having gotten up from near Twilight’s throne to join in the conversation, Flash was quick to put two and two together, “Wait, she’s your aunt? That can’t be right! If that’s true, then…that would…mean…”
Slowly, all eyes turned to Celestia. Shining Armor looked extremely unnerved, but Celestia put her attention of Flash and decided to answer in the only way she knew how at that point.
“I will give you one warning, Commander.” Celestia frowned seriously, though inside she was bursting with laughter, “Should ANYTHING happen to my daughter while she’s in your hooves, you will be answering to me. Understood?”
Flash’s eyes bulged out of his head, and he nodded quickly. Seeing that he could faint at any moment, Twilight leaned over and kissed him on the cheek in an attempt to keep him on his hooves-
CLANG!
-only for Flash’s mind to shut down completely at the contact and allow him to collapse to the floor. Twilight gasped and immediately lay by his side, nuzzling him and trying to wake him up. Luna burst out laughing, only to stop abruptly when Twilight cast her a disapproving glare.
“Is this just some sick joke?” Shining growled at Celestia, walking up to her with fire in his eyes, “There is no way…”
“Oh, Shiny,” Cadence was smiling, having recovered from her initial shock, “I may not have known about this- or expected it, even- myself, but I must say this: there’s ALWAYS a way that something can be possible.”
“So that means, this whole time,” Shining looked up at Celestia, his anger fading into simple disbelief, “she was your daughter?”
“Yes,” Celestia admitted, “but where you are concerned, you are her brother by blood in almost every way.”
“How? We had different mothers, and the only way we could be related by blood was if we shared the…same…father…”
“Auntie!” Cadence gasped, her smile fading as she quickly realized, “you didn’t!”
Celestia looked away, “I’m sorry, Shining. I can only hope that you can forgive me like Velvet did after Twilight was born. If you don’t, at least know that your sister is your own, and that I do not wish to start a war with the Crystal Empire because of my sin- because I don’t regret it if it meant that Twilight was born at all.”
Shining sighed, after a long moment of thought, “You never told him, did you?”
Celestia shook her head.
“I’m happy that Twilight found her real mother,” Shining said, careful with every word, “and I am glad that, despite the roadblocks you obviously had, you two are happy. I, for one, am glad that she is my actual sibling.”
“But?”
“First, you both have some storytelling to do,” Shining said, to which everyone else nodded (except for the unconscious Flash Sentry, of course), “and then, we will go on from there. Whether you slept with my dad or not, Celestia,” He smiled, “I guess I AM as forgiving as my mom was.”
“Besides,” Cadence joked, punching her husband in the shoulder, “I made him swear to not use war as his go-to option.”
“He wouldn’t do that,” Twilight looked uncertainly at her brother, “would you?”
“You really want to find out?” Shining asked, with mock-seriousness.
Celestia chuckled and decided to offer an olive branch in response, opening her forelegs for a brief hug, to which the stallion accepted. Twilight and Cadence were quick to join in, while Luna was finally able to wake Flash Sentry up from unconsciousness- and then pull him into the family group hug!
Now all that’s left is to tell Night Light. Celestia frowned inwardly, Yeah, that’s one conversation I’m NOT going to start…